Episode 198 - The Five Gatekeepers of Speech
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
The Buddha, in his gentle wisdom, offered us a path to mindful speech through what he called "The Five Gatekeepers of Speech." These gatekeepers stand like sentinels, reminding us to pause before we speak. We ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it beneficial? Is it necessary? Is it the right time? Our speech, whether it lands on another's heart or drifts unnoticed through the air, always leaves its karmic mark on us. If we are kind to others with our speech, we create causes for our own happiness. When we are unkind to others, we create suffering for ourselves. Words are the most...
info_outline
Episode 197 - Metta Practice
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Metta, or loving-kindness, is a beautiful practice in Buddhism that calls on the heart to soften, to expand, to reach out with the wish for others’s happiness and well-being. It’s about nurturing love, not just for those who easily come to mind, but for everyone—the stranger, the difficult ones, and even ourselves. Metta practice, at its core, is deeply intertwined with non-violence because it cultivates the kind of love that makes harm unthinkable. In a world that so often pushes us towards division, Metta reminds us to see the shared humanity in each person. When you...
info_outline
Episode 196 - Making mindful choices
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
This episode explores how to make mindful choices that lead to happiness and well-being in the future. We can learn how to distinguish between virtuous actions and nonvirtuous actions Virtuous actions are those that lead to positive outcomes, both for oneself and others. They are rooted in wholesome mental states such as generosity, compassion, and wisdom. With mindfulness, we can detect whether our mind is in a virtuous mental state. Virtuous states of mind feel, like loving-kindness, feel pleasant and peaceful. Conversely, non-virtuous actions are those that lead to negative...
info_outline
Episode 195 - Feel before you act
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
In this episode we explore one of the core teachings of the Buddha—the Five Aggregates and their connection to our problems and suffering. The Buddha taught that life is pervaded by dukkha, which means dissatisfaction or suffering. More specifically, in the First Noble Truth, Buddha taught that “The five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.” These aggregates—form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness—are the parts that make our self. When our five aggregates, including our consciousness, are conditioned by ignorance, we experience an unenlightened life...
info_outline
Episode 194 - Enjoying without attachment
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Joy and pleasures are woven into the fabric of our lives. The teachings of Buddha invite us to dance with moments of delight without the chains of attachment. In this episode, we explore how to savor the pleasures of life while releasing the grip of attachment. Way to enjoy life's pleasures without the pain of attachment: Enjoy the Moment Accept what is Let go of the past and future Enjoy the moment We discover a world of joy by fully immersing ourselves in each moment. Instead of fixating on the past or yearning for the future, let's learn to be present, allowing joy to...
info_outline
Episode 193: Compassion as antidote to anger
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
For the average person, Moments of anger are inevitable. They can flare up in response to various triggers, from personal frustrations to global injustices. However, according to the Buddha's teachings, there is a powerful antidote to this destructive emotion: compassion. In Buddhism, compassion is revered as a guiding light, illuminating the path towards healing and awakening. At the heart of Buddhist philosophy lies the understanding of interconnectedness. Understanding interconnectedness leads to an awareness that everything we do as an individual affects the rest of humanity....
info_outline
Episode 192 - Solving Anger with Dharma
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
In this episode, we delve into a universal human experience: anger. But fear not! We're not just exploring the problem; we're diving into solutions. Get ready for an enlightening journey as we uncover practical strategies rooted in Buddhist wisdom to tame the flames of anger and cultivate inner peace. We can learn how to transform the energy of anger into understanding and compassion. Through understanding and compassion we can heal ourselves and be a refuge of peace for others. In fact, in the story associated with the following verse, Buddha said: ‘Because I am patient and do...
info_outline
Important Announcement
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Virtual Classes with JoAnn Fox start this Saturday, March 2nd! You can enroll any time! What: An ongoing study program to practice the entire path of Buddhism. Join us at any point! When: Saturdays 10 am EST Why: People often have to study Buddhism in a piecemeal fashion. JoAnn participated in a virtual teacher training program for over ten years that presented the whole path of Buddhism. This systematic approach makes the path very clear. It makes it much easier to practice and creates deeper inner change. JoAnn wants others to have the...
info_outline
Episode 191 - Got problems? Buddha has solutions.
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Renunciation is the determination to be free from our own cycle of suffering and dissatisfaction. Renunciation is a state of mind, like patience, compassion, or contentment. Much like these virtuous states of mind, developing renunciation leads us to deeper and deeper levels of inner peace. In this episode, we explore how renunciation directs our focus toward spiritual development, creates happiness, and how we can develop this state of mind. Normally, we're always looking for something...something to ease discomfort, abate dissatisfaction or boredom, or give us pleasure. If we're...
info_outline
Episode 190 - Renunciation: This is the way
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
In today's episode, we explore the profound concept of renunciation in Buddhism. True renunciation isn't about abandoning pleasure but transforming our relationship with it. Join us as we unravel the complexities of renunciation and explore a path to genuine contentment. Renunciation is the wish to break free from the cycle of suffering (samsara) by overcoming our deeply ingrained mental habits of ignorance and attachment. We begin by realizing the futility of expecting lasting satisfaction from transient phenomena (material things, people, opinions, expectations of others, etc.) ...
info_outlineIn Buddhism, confidence is necessary for a person to change deeply for the better. Buddha taught that humans have infinite potential for change. A person who is presently unhappy can become someone with a positive and happy disposition. Someone who is addicted to something can become and stay sober and be an inspiration for others to follow. A person who is habitually angry can become patient. The most profound teaching in Buddhism is that there is no fixed, inherent self. The self we relate to based on our current habits and those habits can change. Understanding that we are not a fixed, inherent self means there are limitless possibilities for us.
About 1,200 years ago the Buddhist Master Shantideva defined the steps to developing confidence as this:
- Aspire. Dream. Wish. You have to develop a strong wish to accomplish an important goal or personal change. Visualize yourself having accomplished it. In your imagination, feel how wonderful it is. Imagine what your life is like having attained this goal/change.
- Plan and Be Steadfast. Steadfastly put these planned steps into action. Accomplish your daily goals. Decide what has to be done to accomplish this goal--according to your capacity. Very clearly identify the first step (what you will do tomorrow.) Plan what the steps will be the following day toward realizing your goal. Create a step-by-step plan.
- Joy. Your plan to change must be a joyful one. We won’t do what makes us suffer for very long! The path toward change will be challenging, but it cannot be very unpleasant. The Buddhist path should always be a joyful one if we are practicing correctly.
- Rest. Rest is a power of effort. Plan to take rest and have a break. Also, when we have an unexpected rest (when we diverge from our plan), don’t feel that you have failed. Steadfastness means we are going in the trajectory of our dreams, not that we are perfect.
Through the steadfast accomplishment of daily actions toward your goal or personal change, confidence will naturally arise. Eventually, you will be familiar with this new way of being. You will have become a new person, with new habits and a new life!
The verses from the Dhammapada we studied in this episode are:
Through effort, vigilance,
Restraint and self-control,
The wise person can become an island
No flood can overwhelm.
Unwise, foolish people
Give themselves over to negligence.
The wise
Protect vigilance as the greatest treasure.
Don’t give yourself over to negligence
Don’t devote yourself to sensual pleasure.
Vigilant and absorbed in meditation
One attains abundant happiness.
Chapter 2, Verses 25 - 27
The Dhammapada, translated by Gil Fronsdale
References
The Dhammapada, translated by Gil Fronsdale
Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, by Je Tsongkhap, Volume 2. Pages 181-208. Translated by the Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Joshua Cutler, Editor-in-Chief, and Guy Newlan, Editor.